LIFE ON THE FRINGE

I am a stranger in this curious land. The natives’ peculiar customs and inscrutable beliefs concerning supernatural entities are so strikingly different from my ways that much of what I now experience here I do not comprehend. It is as though I were entirely unprepared to live in this mysterious cultural environment where even small children are far better acculturated than I can ever hope to be. Nearly all of my daily activities observing and interacting with the locals rudely remind me of how thoroughly ignorant I am.

My years in graduate school and my completed career as a professor of anthropology have, no doubt, shaped much of my character and personality. My extensive exposure to university campus life with its liberal milieu has now rendered me and my kind an ideological minority in my recently selected community.

My appearance does not suggest that I am an intellectual alien. Nevertheless, conversation on almost any topic seems to reveal my outsider status all too readily. Those who are born here seem to be far more accepting of my peculiarities than I am of theirs. Although they do not agree with me on most topics, they seem little bothered by this fact. It is as though they are far more familiar with my ideas than I am with theirs. And although they do not agree with my thinking, they are not mystified by it at all. In fact, the most cursory knowledge of my background seems to make my views quite predictable to them. Consequently, they are not nearly as curious about my eccentricity as I am about their customary behavior.

Shortly after arriving, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to participate in a traditional funeral and its accompanying rituals, activities I thought would afford me an opportunity to gain considerable insight into the thinking of my host society. Funerals, like weddings, are fraught with symbolic meaning and confirming behavior that reflect the important mores of the culture. For example, eulogizing the deceased usually underscores cherished values and morals. What better way for me to get a handle on their shared views? Sadly, I came away more befuddled than ever.

Instead of learning about the deceased and the degree to which his life epitomized the desirable conformist, I kept hearing about faith in irrational and incredible things. It was as if the death of this elderly man was considered primarily an opportunity to reinforce their most outlandish beliefs in spiritual beings. And judging by the reaction or lack of reaction on the part of those who merely listened, this emphasis on faith was anticipated and wholly acceptable.

Perhaps the most recurring theme involved some man who lived a long time ago ago, a semi-divine figure who evidently died but remains alive in some way to this day. His father is said to be a god, and both of them are considered capable of communicating with millions of people simultaneously. As unlikely as this scenario seems, this son-of-a-god ghost is supposed to have been born to a virgin, walked on water, and performed other numerous miracles that defied natural laws. Even thought these claims are blatently incredible, I detected no utterance over several days of structured mourning that indicated any reservations about their veracity.

One’s acceptance of the deification of their favorite culture hero is demonstrated by the size of a distinctive pendent worn on a decorative chain. By this standard, and this is particularly curious, devotion to this ghost/deity is particularly strong among darker skinned males. Additional forums that are used to proclaim one’s religiosity are bumper stickers and letters to the editor of the local newspaper. Judging by such letters, the writers are convinced that a quotation from some historic tribal elder can prove, without fear of contradiction, the wisdom of one’s stand on moral issues or even matters of foreign policy.

Local beliefs are not standardized but vary greatly from individual to individual. Those who insist that their sacred texts contain only literal truth hold many contradictory beliefs since these ancient writings contain numerous inconsistencies. Religious leaders frequently exemplify such cognitive dissonance when they proclaim that their all-loving supreme being readily punishes deviants. This ideological hodgepodge of sacred precepts has been preserved by an unwritten law that prohibits challenging a fellow citizen’s faith, no matter how absurd the contents of that faith. For example, when someone survives a catastrophic event that kills others, that person will inevitably proclaim that a miracle has occurred. Even though such a pronouncement is inherently egotistical, presuming that this one individual was singled out by a divine being, all listeners acquiesce and show no interest in suggesting an alternative interpretation.

In this community where I have chosen to live in retirement, one would expect to find some skeptics and even a few atheists, but, if there are such independent thinkers, they must be afraid to speak out since the general culture is so hostile to any who rationally examine religious convictions. Those who spend many years in school are offered courses in critical thinking, logic, and the social and physical sciences, but such disciplines encourage reliance on reason and objectivity, and are therefore in conflict with established norms. Even students who take several of these courses soon revert to more conventional thinking soon after graduation.

Even though the populous has some knowledge of physics and biology, they seem unable to distinguish myth from science. For example, faith in their whimsical account of first man and first woman is being touted lately as worthy of being taught in biology courses.

Theirs is a very curious culture. Individualism is encouraged and admired; yet, there are powerful social control mechanisms that discourage unfamiliar religious beliefs. Even though there is a strong tradition of religious liberty, beliefs that do not conform to some accepted theology are quickly dismissed. Individuals who insist that a god instructed them to murder people in their community are usually judged criminally insane. Without any apparent recognition of inconsistency, there is much approval of those who receive politically correct messages from their god.

Foreign immigrants learn quickly to be rather circumspect about their own beliefs when they differ greatly from local traditions. Lately there has been much ridicule here of a distant society where people presuppose that all terrorist martyrs (those who are males at least) will be rewarded in an afterlife by numerous concupiscent virgins. Ironically, locals find no credence in this belief even though they agree that virtuous behavior is always rewarded after death.

Somehow, supernatural beings, miracles, revelations, and answered prayers are accepted as indisputable, but unfamiliar beliefs about supernatural power are readily dismissed as superstitions. In this way my neighbors demonstrate unguarded ethnocentrism without any anticipation of being criticized. None appear to have even the slightest awareness of the extent to which their views are blatantly culture bound.

Televised and broadcast religious services are perhaps the most easily accessible way to learn about native beliefs and how these beliefs are expressed. On popular religious radio programs, one can hear numerous love songs. These focus on their ancient divine culture hero, promising the undying devotion of the singer. This peculiar obsession appears to be entirely acceptable to the listening audience.

I have been dumbstruck numerous times while watching some of the televangelists. Although their congregants appear to admire these performers, I could not help being mostly amused. Their distinctive attire (no one else wears white ties) and overly dramatized delivery are such that, were they to address an audience where I come from, they would be considered laughable. Even without considering the dogmatic and anti-intellectual content of their lectures, they simply would have no credibility in a liberal academic setting. Of course, they do not speak to such an alien audience but only to their faithful followers.

In their reactionary social context, they are normative. Given my beliefs, I am barely on the fringe of this society. Having settled here voluntarily and choosing to remain, it behooves me to attempt to fit in. Unfortunately, I fear I am too old to make such an extreme adjustment of my views and convictions. Sadly, I seem destined to remain a stranger in this curious land.

Anthony Layng